Arizona’s tough immigration law goes to the Supreme Court. We’ll look at the law and consequences.

Immigration reform supporters walk past the Supreme Court during a rally for immigration reform in Washington, on Sunday, March 21, 2010. (AP)

The U.S. Constitution gives the federal government authority to make foreign policy, and that starts with issues of the border. Like immigration. Two years ago, Arizona lawmakers frustrated with illegal immigration stepped in with their own plans. Just to help, they said, drive out undocumented immigrants.

It was a harsh menu. Half a dozen states share it. This week the Supreme Court steps in. It’s a conservative court. The politics are crackling.

This hour, On Point: the view from Arizona, and Washington and more on state powers and immigration crackdown before the high court.

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests

David Savage, reporter for the Los Angeles Times who covers the Supreme Court. His recent article on the Arizona case is here.

Joe Dana, a reporter and anchor at KPNX Channel 12, the NBC affiliate in Phoenix.

From Tom’s Reading List

Anniston Star “Instead of repealing the disaster known as HB56, Alabama lawmakers have apparently decided to walk a fine line that closely resembles a gangplank. Montgomery Republicans are stuck between two sides — the angry Alabamians anxious to scapegoat a small Hispanic population and the rest of the state, including Republicans, who fret over the damage done to our reputation.”

Tucson Citizen “But much has changed on the immigration front since then: The state’s sizable illegal-immigrant population, one of the driving factors behind passage of the law, has shrunk dramatically. The state hasn’t passed a single immigration bill since SB 1070, ending the passage of a string of enforcement measures leading up to the law. ”

Birmingham News “The bill keeps the core of the 2011 immigration law, but makes changes lawmakers said will make the law easier to enforce and less burdensome for legal citizens and businesses. Republicans largely voted for the bill and Democrats against it.”

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